South Carolina Tax Holiday

August 6, 2004 at 6:50 PM EST - Updated July 26 at 8:57 PM

If you missed Georgia's tax-free weekend, you have another chance. Cross the Talmadge Bridge and take advantage of the savings in South Carolina. We went to Wal-Mart in Beaufort this morning, and they said they've had people coming to take advantage of the tax holiday since it officially began this morning at 12:01am.

School supplies are flying off the shelf as many rush to take advantage across South Carolina. "I have two lists," said shopper Lisa Mixson. "Pencils, papers, books, folders, mechanical pencils, everything."

Items all parents have to shell out money for every year before the school year begins. But for most parents, every bit of savings adds up. "It's a big help," said Mixson. "It's a big help for us."

In fact, Mixson waits every year for the tax-free weekend before she buys any school supplies. As a teacher, she also makes sure her students have the same opportunity to save. "I always make sure to give my list to my kids so they can shop on the tax-free weekend."

Not only are customers saving on taxes, but many stores also offer back-to-school bargains. "The crayons are 19 cents," said Mixson. "You can't beat that. It's wonderful."

And these savings, combined with the tax-free weekend, mean lots of business for stores like Wal-Mart. In fact, employees say they expect to see high sales, since Georgia's tax-free weekend it over. "We saw a slight decrease in sales last week, so we're looking forward to it being a boost this week," said Wal-Mart's Arthur Dawson.